How to Choose the Right Lubricant

Ninety percent of all women experience some sort of pain with intercourse during their lifetime. The friction of dry skin to dry skin can be attributed to either not using any lube or not choosing the right lube for their needs.

The correct lube can change any sexual experience from discomfort and pain to extreme pleasure.

Choosing a lubricant for sex

Understanding Sexual Lubrication

Lack of lube or using the wrong lube is one of the most common problems many women have during intercourse. When caught up in the pleasure of the moment, the thought of having to stop the momentum to explain to your partner the need for lube can be daunting. It can also cause some men to think that you are not turned on enough. And then there's the fumbling around to find the darn thing, opening it and spreading it on. It all seems like such a huge task that it's just better to risk going a little dry, right? Uh-uh, bad idea!

Ninety percent of all women experience some sort of pain with intercourse during their lifetime. The friction of dry skin to dry skin can be attributed to either not using any lube or not choosing the right lube for their needs. The correct lube can change any sexual experience from discomfort and pain to extreme pleasure.

Understanding the process of lubrication:
Lubrication occurs when your brain interprets that you are turned on and sends a message to increase blood-flow into the pelvis, signaling the mucous membranes in the walls of the vagina to secrete a liquid -- your natural lube. Liquid literally seeps from the bloodstream through the walls to the vagina. It is a process analogous to the erection and lubrication of the penis. Being dependant on blood-flow (along with many other processes in your body), lubrication can be affected by stress, pregnancy, nursing, menopause and even dehydration. It can also be affected by drugs such as decongestants and hormonal birth-control. Because of the many factors that can affect it, natural lubrication does not automatically correspond with mood. A woman may report feeling horny and yet be completely dry. Another woman may lubricate profusely without any sexual thought or stimulation.

Find the right lube: There are hundreds of lubes on the market. Some are thin, and others are thick, or long- lasting, waterproof, organic, or even flavored. Libida has outlined three ways to determine which lubricant is ideal for you. By looking at differences in Activity, Personality or the Properties/Ingredients of each lube, we have identified the best lubes in each of these categories.

1. Every sexual activity requires slightly different things from a lube.

Activities:	Look for:	We Recommend:
Vaginal intercourse	Glycerin free	Liquid Silk, Sliquid
Anal intercourse/play	A thicker lube	Maximus
Fisting	A thicker lube	Maximus
Toy Use Silicone	Non-silicone-based lubes	Astroglide
Toy Use Non-silicone	Any lube	All lubes
Playing in water	A silicone based lube	Pink
Oral sex	A flavored lube	Durex Play Cherry , Good Clean Love

2.

Your Personality:	We Recommend:
I get a lot of yeast infections.	Liquid Silk, Sliquid
Don't use any lube with any form of sugar in it.	Liquid Silk, Sliquid
Look out for "Glycerin-free" ingredients.	Liquid Silk, Sliquid
My natural lube is too thin, it dries out quickly.	Maximus
My natural lube is too thick, it gets sticky.	Astroglide
I like to only use natural products on my body.	Good Clean Love
I like to have a long lasting lube.	Pink Silicone Lube
I like to have a lube that washes off easily.	Any water-based lubes.

3.

Lube:	Properties:	Ingredients:
Astroglide	Thin light texture, water base, latex compatible.	Purified water, glycerin, propylene glycol, polyquarternium, methylparaben, propylparaben.
Liquid Silk	Long-lasting, luxurious feel, no stickiness, glycerin-free, water base, latex compatible.	Water, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Cellulose Polymer, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate NSE, BNPD, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methyl Paraben, Butyl Paraben, Ethyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, B.H.T.
Maximus	Thicker, long-lasting, good for anal play and fisting, water base, latex compatible. Our best selling lube.	Water, Propylene Glycol, Cellulose Polymer, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methyl Paraben, Butyl Paraben, Ethyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben.
Pink Silicone	Silicone Based, glycerin free, hypo-allergenic	Dimethicone, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera, Dimethiconol, Cyclomethicone.
K-Y Yours And Mine	Different formulas for him and for her together.	Yours For Him: Glycerin, Propylene glycol, Malodextrin, Honey, Methylparaben, Sucralose. Your For Her: Water, Propylene glycol, Polysorbate 60, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Benzoic Acid, Menthyl Lactate, Methyl Salicylate, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide.
Good Clean Love	Delicious flavors, natural ingredients	Ingredients: Deionized Water, Agar, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Xanthum Gum, Vegetable Glycerin, Glucose, Lactoperoxidase, Glucose Oxidase, Benzoic Acid.

4. Natural Vaginal Lubrication Women lubricate differently at different times of their lives (lubrication decreases with age), each day (women will lubricate 4 to 6 times in an 8-hour sleep-cycle), and of the month (see below). One of the most dramatic changes of vaginal secretions occurs during the menstrual cycle.

Color:	Consistency:	Normal for:
Clear	Stretchy	Ovulation; Sexual Stimulation
Milky	Creamy	Pre-ovulation
White	Sticky, curdlike	Post-ovulation
Brownish	Watery and sticky	Last day of period

Final Tip: A small amount of water or saliva can rejuvenate a sticky or drying lube.